Minimum Wage Rises to a ¥1,177 National Average: The Rules That Protect People Working in Japan

People employed to work in Japan are covered by the minimum protections set out in the Labor Standards Act and the Minimum Wage Act, regardless of nationality or status of residence. These cover the minimum wage, the maximum hours you can be made to work, days off, overtime pay, paid leave, and notice of dismissal. Even if the company and the worker agree to it, conditions below these minimums are not allowed.

Below is what the provisions of the Labor Standards Act and the Minimum Wage Act (via e-Gov Japanese Law Search) and materials published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) say, checked in September 2026. How to look for work, and whether you can work under a given status of residence, are covered in our article on looking for work in Japan. This article does not judge how the law applies to your own situation. If you run into trouble, consult one of the contacts listed at the end.

The Minimum Wage Is Set Prefecture by Prefecture

Article 4 of the Minimum Wage Act requires an employer to pay wages at or above the minimum wage. A contract that sets a wage below the minimum wage is invalid as to that part, and is treated as if it had set the wage at the same amount as the minimum wage. The 生活・就労ガイドブック (Guidebook on Living and Working) published by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) explains that the minimum wage applies to all workers regardless of how they work, and that if you are paid under a contract below the minimum wage, you can later claim the difference. Based on Article 9 of the Minimum Wage Act, a "regional minimum wage" is set for each region across the country.

The regional minimum wage is revised every year. On September 3, 2026, the MHLW announced that revised amounts for fiscal year 2026 had been recommended for every prefecture. The nationwide weighted average of the recommended amounts is ¥1,177 per hour, up ¥56 from the previous fiscal year’s ¥1,121. The increase ranges from ¥54 to ¥65 depending on the prefecture, and the new amounts are due to take effect prefecture by prefecture between October 1 and December 2, 2026.

The highest is Tokyo’s ¥1,280, and the lowest is Miyazaki’s ¥1,085 (recommended amounts). Every amount, including prefectures not shown in the table, can be checked in the MHLW’s published materials. Because the director of the prefectural labour bureau decides and brings the recommended amount into effect, check the amount and effective date for the prefecture where you work through that prefectural labour bureau’s own announcement.

Before You Start Work, Your Conditions Must Be Shown in Writing

Article 15 of the Labor Standards Act requires a company to clearly show working conditions such as wages and working hours when it concludes a labor contract. Important matters such as wages and working hours must be shown by a set method, and are generally handed over as a document called a 労働条件通知書 (written notice of working conditions). If the conditions shown turn out to differ from the actual conditions, the worker may immediately terminate the contract. In that case, if the worker had moved their residence for the job and returns home within 14 days of terminating the contract, the company must bear the necessary travel expenses (same article).

The MHLW publishes a "Model Written Notice of Working Conditions for Foreign Workers" that companies can use when hiring foreign nationals, in eight languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Indonesian, and Vietnamese. There is no Ukrainian or Russian version (as of September 2026). If you receive a document in Japanese, don’t rush to sign it while any part of it is still unclear to you. What the notice covers is also listed in our article on looking for work.

Working Hours, Breaks, and Days Off

The basics set by the Labor Standards Act are as follows.

• Working hours: an employer may not have an employee work more than 40 hours a week or 8 hours a day, excluding break time (Article 32)
• Breaks: an employer must give at least a 45-minute break during working hours that exceed 6 hours, and at least a 1-hour break during working hours that exceed 8 hours (Article 34)
• Days off: an employer must give at least one day off per week, unless it gives at least four days off over a four-week period (Article 35)

To have employees work beyond this limit, or on a day off, the company must conclude a written agreement with a labor union organized by a majority of its workers (or, where there is none, with a person representing a majority of the workers) and file it with the relevant administrative office (Article 36; the so-called "Article 36 agreement," 36協定). There are also arrangements, such as the modified working-hours system, that allow work patterns different from the principles above, so check the written notice of working conditions and your workplace’s work rules (就業規則) for the rules that apply to you. A company that regularly employs 10 or more people must draw up work rules and file them with the Labor Standards Inspection Office (Article 89).

Overtime Pay and How Wages Are Paid

When you work beyond the legal limit, or on a day off, you are paid a premium wage on top of your ordinary wage, at an added rate. That rate must be at least the rate set by cabinet order, within a range of 25% to 50%; for the portion of overtime work exceeding 60 hours in a month, it is at least 50%. Night work between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. carries a premium of at least 25% (Article 37).

There are also rules for how wages are paid. Article 24 requires that wages be paid in currency, directly to the worker, in full, at least once a month, on a fixed date. Except for things permitted by law, such as taxes and social insurance premiums, a company cannot unilaterally deduct amounts from a worker’s pay.

Paid Leave and Notice of Dismissal

Annual paid leave: a worker who has worked continuously for six months from the date of hire and has attended at least 80% of the working days set is given 10 days of paid leave (Article 39). The number of days then increases with years of service. Workers with fewer scheduled working days per week are also given a number of days set by MHLW ordinance, in proportion to that number (same article).

Notice of dismissal: when a company dismisses a worker, it must give at least 30 days’ notice, or, if it does not give notice, pay at least 30 days’ worth of average wages (Article 20). An exception applies, subject to certification by the relevant administrative office, where the business can no longer be continued because of a natural disaster or other unavoidable event, or where the dismissal is due to the worker’s own fault. The number of days of notice required can be shortened by the number of days for which average wages were paid.

Where to Turn When You Run Into Trouble

Problems such as being paid below the minimum wage or not being paid overtime can be raised with a Labor Standards Inspection Office. The MHLW’s working-conditions portal, 確かめよう労働条件 ("Check Your Working Conditions"), lists the phone number and languages for its Consultation Hotline for Foreign Workers. As of August 2026, the list covers English, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Burmese, Nepali, Korean, Thai, and Indonesian, among others, and does not include Ukrainian or Russian. The phone number and hours are given in our article on looking for work. Consult together with someone who can speak Japanese or English, or check whether you can arrange an interpreter through our article on where to ask first when you start living in Japan.

Summary: Before and After You Start Work

• Is your hourly wage at or above the minimum wage for the prefecture where you work?
• Have you received a written notice of working conditions? Does it state your wages, working hours, days off, and contract term?
• Is your overtime paid at the premium rate? Are there no unexplained deductions from your pay?
• The number of paid-leave days you get after six months of work
• The location of the Labor Standards Inspection Office to consult when you run into trouble

The legal content and minimum-wage amounts written here were checked in September 2026. The minimum wage changes every year, around October.